Tarrant, who stopped hosting Who Wants to be a Millionaire earlier this year, was taken ill on a flight (Picture: 2waytraffic)It was a case of phone an ambulance, not a friend for Chris Tarrant after he suffered an asthma attack on a plane.

The TV game show host has spent the weekend in hospital after he was taken ill on a flight from Bangkok to London.

The 67-year-old alerted cabin crew as he became short of breath. On arrival at Heathrow airport, he was transferred to Charing Cross Hospital ‘as a priority’.

Rumours that Tarrant had suffered a heart attack and collapsed at a luggage carousel have been rejected.

He is expected to be discharged by doctors by the end of the day.

His agent, Paul Vaughan, said: ‘He did not feel well when he was getting on the plane. Before he landed, he asked the air crew for an ambulance because he knew things weren’t right.

‘I think he had asthma and he was just tired, considering the poor air quality and the long flight.’

The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? presenter had been filming a travel series in Burma and the Andes before heading to Thailand for a one-night stay.

The agent said Tarrant had not suffered any other problems with his breathing on the trip, despite the thin air.

He had also passed the many checks required for his health insurance.

When asked about his condition, Mr Vaughan said the star sounded ‘tired’ when they spoke on Saturday. However, he began to feel better yesterday. His children have been visiting him one by one so he didn’t get tired out.

Last month, Tarrant stepped down from the his game show, 15 years after it made him one of TV’s best-known stars.

He is also known for co-presenting the children’s show Tiswas and the breakfast slot on Capital Radio for 17 years.